Hello and welcome.
My name is Tina Stinson and I want to thank you for joining me for this evening gratitude and sleep meditation.
Find a comfortable position in bed and begin to allow your eyes to slowly close and let your body settle into the mattress as if it's gently cradling you and supporting you.
Begin by noticing your breath,
Not changing it,
Just observing.
Feel the rise and the fall of your chest,
The air passing through your nostrils and with each exhale,
Imagine releasing the weight of your day.
Let's take a deep breath in through your nose,
Expanding your belly,
Hold at the top for a second and now exhale slowly through your mouth as if you were blowing out a candle.
Breathe in again,
Expanding your belly,
Hold at the top and now exhale with a sigh,
Allowing your body to relax even deeper.
Let's take one more,
Breathing in through the nose,
Filling the belly,
Expanding the chest,
Holding at the top and exhale,
Relaxing every muscle in your body,
Allowing yourself to let go.
We're going to go through a complete body relaxation,
Starting with your feet.
I want you to tense them up slightly,
Holding them as tense as you can for three seconds and then release,
Allowing them to grow heavy and sink into the surface you're lying on.
Moving up to your calves,
Your knees and your thighs,
Letting every muscle just release.
There's no need to work right now,
This is a time to relax and restore.
Soften all the muscles in your legs with every exhale.
Now moving to your hands,
I want you to cleanse them up gently,
Hold them for three seconds and release,
Letting them fall open,
Having your fingers curl up as they relax,
Releasing your belly and your chest,
Allowing it to sink into the surface of the bed you're lying on,
Supporting you,
Cradling you.
Move up to your shoulders,
Allowing them to just drop away,
Far away from your ears,
Allowing your jaw to drop open and relax and your tongue lifts up to the roof of your mouth as you relax all the muscles in your mouth.
Moving to all the muscles around your eyes,
Just imagine them all releasing as your eyes are supported by your sockets and you could feel the stare of your eyes lifting upward as you relax,
Dissolving any lingering tension from your face,
Releasing your forehead,
Feeling your temples relax.
Now I want you to call to mind one small moment from today that brought you comfort,
Something that you're grateful for.
It could be small like the sunlight through a window,
A kind word,
It could be something big that happened to you.
I want you to hold it in your heart and feel the feelings of gratitude and whisper silently thank you.
I want you to think about your day and think of someone who supported you,
Even in a tiny way,
Picture their face,
Send them gratitude,
Let the corners of your mouth drift up a little bit into a soft smile.
And then lastly I want you to thank yourself for showing up today exactly as you are.
Now as we fall into a deep rest,
I want you to imagine a cozy blanket of comfort,
Protection,
Support just wrapping around you.
And every time you exhale,
I want you to sink deeper and deeper and deeper into your bed and your pillow.
Picture yourself in a really safe,
Peaceful,
Beautiful place,
Your favorite place,
Wherever that might be for you.
Feel the stillness and the comfort of it.
As you drift towards sleep,
I want you to take five deep breaths,
Counting to yourself,
Breathing in through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
And every time you exhale,
I want you to repeat to yourself,
I release today,
I welcome rest.
I want you to keep doing this.
And if your mind wanders,
Gently return to those words.
Just keep saying that over and over.
I release today.
I welcome rest.
Namaste.
Namaste.
